Fix it in time
by Calandraa
Summary: Renet knows a lot. She is a timestress after all. But that does not mean that she likes everything she knows. This is a story about Renet quarreling with Donatello's future. She is unwilling to accept that her friend will spent the evening of his life lonely and regretful. So she decides to bend the rules an eeny weeny bit and use her time scepter to change things for the better.
1. Shattered Remains

Note: This is my first TMNT fanfiction. It's been on AO3 for a while. Just uploading it here now, too.

„Computer, end simulation ‚Reunion'!" A fracture of a second passed after Donatello had spoken and the images of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael faded into nothingness.  
Renet only saw this in the corner of her eyes, her gaze following the aged genius. Looking around she took in the tidy, clean – almost sterile – apartment that bore no resemblance to the different workstations she had seen the smart turtle tinker and ponder at. Gone was the creative chaos, replaced by spotless furniture and walls that – aside from a few photographs – showed little of the person living here.  
Unnoticed by the owner of the place Renet followed him while he carefully made his way through his home. Maybe his fading eyesight was the reason he made sure no clutter lay around so that he could cross the rooms without accidents by using his still excellent memory. He would probably say so if someone was to ask. But nobody asked.  
Renet would not ask either. She did not want to be seen at the moment. Let alone heard, she did not trust her voice right now. Tears started to form in her eyes and soon would fall. It broke her heart to see the warm and gentle soul that was Donatello so lonely, longing for his brothers' company, for their voices, their warmth.  
It was not that the brothers, who had been so close in their youth, were at odds with each other. Sure, there had been more than one bump on their road that caused conflicts, some smaller, some bigger. But they loved each other and cared for each other. When Raphael failed to repair his robot, Donatello was there. (Renet had been tempted more than once to let Donatello know how Raph messed with the uncanny machine to have a reason to call Donatello and check on his well-being, but there was no telling how her old friends would react to being regularly spied on. Not good probably.) Leonardo's tech bokken needed maintenance, too, now and then (Leo made sure of it) and Donatello was fast to help. Funny enough it was Michelangelo who needed his help the least. His time in space had provided him with an impressive knowledge about technology that almost rivaled that of his genius brother. So when he called, he did to make sure Donatello was fine. But he did not do it often, because he did not want to bother his brother more than necessary.  
Yes, his brothers tried not to get on his nerves and he did not mean to bother them with his desire for their company. Even though he was glad for a reason to see them, he still made sure to leave them be as soon as whatever needed repair was fixed.  
Donatello had reached his bedroom and crawled under the blanket. Before he closed his eyes, he ordered the computer to play his favorite songs and to stop after he had been asleep for an hour.  
Renet knew why this apartment spoke so little of Donatello. Her old friend did not really live here. He was stuck somewhere between the past and the present. He longed for the time he was near his brothers, even though he never cried for it. But Renet did now. She cried, she cried bitter tears for the old turtle.

"There is, like, nothing I can do!" she whispered, unheard by the now sleeping genius.  
"Or is there?" she questioned  
"No!"  
"Well…!"  
"There is something I could do, kinda…"  
"Actually, there would be, like, a LOT to do…"  
"And Lord Simultaneous would totally have my head…"  
"If he knew…"  
"But, like, does he have to know?"  
"I mean, there is so much going on right now. He cannot be everywhere at once."  
"Okay, scratch that, he can, because he is, like, the lord of time and stuff. But…"  
"…if he does not know that there is a reason to be somewhere, he won't be there. He totally hates splitting himself to be in more than one place at the same time!"

Her decision made Renet wiped the tears from her eyes and swung her scepter.  
She was carried along Donatello's lifeline into the past.  
It was all a blur because she was in an unnecessary hurry but now and then she saw glimpses of those who had touched the genius turtle's life and soul during the years. April O'Neil, Casey Jones, his father and sensei Splinter, even herself. But his brothers were the most prominent.  
And there were voices, mostly distant, speaking all at once and therefore impossible to understand but sometimes she caught a few words spoken in Donatello's voice.

"Spar with Raph, will you Leo? I am at a very critical point in this experiment."  
"Not know, Raphael! This is important!"  
"Sorry, Mikey! I am very busy. Some other time, okay?"

Travelling through so many years of this whirl of an unusual and exciting life, made even the experienced timestress a little dizzy. But when she reached her destination it did not take long for her to regain her sense.  
A soft breeze of a warm Northhampton spring greeted her. The wind rushed through the leaves of the old trees as if to wake them from their winter's slumber. He carried several voices to Renets ears and the timestress did not hesitate to follow them. Only a few strides were needed to step out of the woods and reach a wide and open field graced by a small rivulet. She spotted Donatello and his family in company of April and Casey. Renet stepped closer but decided to remain unseen.  
The two humans were seated on a plain uni-colored picnic blanket, enjoying the sun and an extraordinary lively conversation for two people as different as April and Casey.  
Raphael and Michelangelo were engaged in a Frisbee game, obviously garnered with house rules Renet did not understand. Leave it to Mikey to complicate a game that usually only meant to throw a flat thing from one person to another.  
Leonardo was talking to his father. They stood near the rivulet so Renet could barely hear what they were saying but from the look on their faces and their overall composure it seemed to be a pleasant topic  
Everybody seemed comfortable. Including Donatello. But he had distanced himself from the rest of the group. Not by putting much space between himself and the others. In fact he was sitting pretty close to Splinter and Leonardo but his back was turned on them and he did not speak a word. He stared at something on the ground, deep in thought and a look on his face that showed how far away his mind had wandered.  
Renet drew closer to see what had captured his interest and almost rolled her eyes at the irony when she finally spotted the object of his studies. It was a turtle that was slowly but steadily making it's way through a little puddle of mud near the water. Of all the things that could drew Donatello's attention away from his family.  
She chuckled a little but then she saw Splinter's ears twitch and fell silent immediately. The magic of her scepter that concealed her was powerful but it was unwise to underestimate the old master's instincts.  
Turning back to Donatello she silently shook her head. He was a good person. Warm, gentle and sweet. He did not deserve to be alone because he was gifted and cursed with a brilliant mind that tended to drift away and pull him with it. Away from those he loved and who loved him.  
Inaudibly Renet sighed. It was a lot of work. But she could fix this. She WOULD fix this. She grinned. After all, time was on her side.


	2. Mud in the Meadows

Renet stopped time. Even if someone in 79th Dimension of Null-Time would notice, no one would pay it any mind. It was one of the most common tools of a timemaster or timestress to fix tiny errors that occurred now and then.  
And Renet planned to fix something, alright. Even though it was not really an error in time and therefore not really any of her business. Well, at least none of her business as a timestress anyway. As a friend? Completely different story.  
Hesitating for the blink of an eye Renet took a deep breath. No, no going back now. Quickly she kneeled beside Donatello. His hands were covered in mud because he had shortly lifted the little turtle up to have a closer look. Renet carefully grabbed a handful of the mud from the puddle he was staring at. Her face twisted in slight disgust when she made her way to Michelangelo and Raphael. Right now both brothers had their back turned to Donnie because Mikey was fishing the Frisbee out of a bush and Raph was standing next to him watching. Her work as a timestress had sure given her some practice in picking the right moment.  
She threw the mud in her hand at Mikey and Raph. Losing contact with her body the mucky substance was frozen in time again. The timestress then stepped aside and sat down next to April on the blanket. She was still unseen but did not want to take any chances. Here she was in nobody's path and she could overview everything.  
A little swing with her scepter had time running again. With a "splash" the mud she had thrown hit first Raphael's head, then Michelangelo's. Both grabbed their neck and stared confused at the brown substance now covering their hands. They spun around, Michelangelo's eyes wide with surprise, Raphael's narrowed with anger.  
"Ewww!" Michelangelo used the fresh gras beneath his feet to rid his hands of the mud.  
"What the hell?" Raph shouted while he let his eyes slide over his family and friends. All of them looked at him in surprise seemingly innocent.  
"Is there a problem, my son?" The calm voice of his father failed to sooth the hothead and it did not help that Leonardo teased: "Knowing Raphael there is more than one!"  
"Very funny, Leo!" The Turtle in red growled. "Someone threw mud at me and it was not Mikey!"  
"The last part is hard to believe!" April smiled but a look at Michelangelo told her that he indeed was not the culprit but another victim. The young turtle walked towards the rivulet to clean himself.  
"Ya better believe it, lady." Raph growled. "'A'right, here's how it goes. Whoever did it confesses now and I will only pound him ta next week, not ta next month."  
"It is the 28th, Raphael. Next week IS next month." Donatello said absentmindedly.  
"'Kay I will pound him ta next Tuesday instead of next Friday!" Raph grinned. For the split of a second he wore a fond expression when hearing Donatello's soft voice.  
"Ya know, some people pay a lot of money to be covered in mud!" Casey laughed. "For a younger looking skin."  
As soon as Casey had spoken Raphael's scowl was back and he trudged over the gras towards his friend. "So it was you, huh?"  
"What? No!" The dark haired man exclaimed in panic. "Ask April!"  
"It's true, Raphael." April said and handed a napkin to Raphael. Chuckling she added "And I would not protect him if he lied. I do not appreciate it when someone throws mud at people while conversing with me."  
"Also, there is no mud on the blanket!" Michelangelo appeared next to Raph, clean now but still wearing an irritated look.  
Raphael took care of the mud on his neck and hand as good as he could with the napkin while looking around.  
"A'right, then who…"  
He stopped midsentence. His eyes fell on Donatello's hands which were still covered in mud.  
"Donnie?" He growled.  
"What?"  
"Donnie!"  
"That is my name…What do you… Ow!"  
Without further ado Raph and Mikey grabbed their smart brother's shoulder, fell on him and pushed him down with their bodies. A squishing noise indicated that Donatello's butt landed in the puddle and Donatello's face spoke of the uncomfortable feeling this caused.  
"What…" Donnie was too shocked to be mad.  
Raphael quickly got back on his feet. Raising his brow ridge he spoke.  
"Don't know what's gotten inta ya', Brainiac!" He grinned. "But nobody else would have gotten away so easily!"  
"Get away with what?"  
"Mudding us!" Mikey exclaimed.  
"That was not me!"  
"Oh really? April would not do it and she vouches for Casey. The goofball was right next ta me and got mudded, too. Leaves our fearless leader, our Sensei and our genius. And the genius' hands are covered in mud!"  
"But…"  
"Only one 'butt' and that's your's in the puddle. Sorry, Donnie-boy, but ya of all people shoulda been smart enough not ta leave any…!"  
Again Raphael was cut off when another handful of mud landed on him. It hit him perfectly in the spot exactly in the middle between his eyes. Only half a second later Michelangelo suffered the same faith.  
"The hell, Donnie?"  
The genius grinned.  
"Just proving my innocence! As you said: I am a genius. I can correctly calculate the angle and velocity needed to land a perfect hit. Why would I hit your neck when I can hit your stupid faces?"  
For a second his brothers stared at him. Then their eyes met each other. A vicious grin appeared simultaneously on their faces.  
"The brainiac's all muddy!" Raph said slowly.  
"Hm,hm!" Mikey nodded. "I know from experience that the rivulet's water can help with that… It is a little cold though…!"  
"Needs must…"  
"Guys?" Donnie did not like where this was going.  
He acted non too soon. He bounced to his feet, jumped over the rivulet and fled from his brothers in red and orange.  
"Ya can run but ya can't hide!" Ralph shouted over the meadow when Donatello disappeared into the woods.  
"We will see!" The smart turtle shouted back.  
At the rivulet Leonardo and his father looked at each other.  
"Wouldn't we have noticed if Don threw mud over our heads to hit Mikey and Raph?" Leonardo mused.  
"We should also have seen him turn around to do so." Splinter nodded. "Curious!"  
"Then again, we were deep in conversation..." Leonardo tried to reason, not really believing himself.  
"Still it is most unlikely he could have done it unnoticed by us and Miss O'Neil. Along with his insistence to be not guilty of this prank… Did you sense a lie, my son?"  
When Leonardo shook his head, the old rat grabbed his own chin, absentmindedly scratching it. He was about to speak again when a light and gentle wind carried screams and laughter from the woods to them. The shouting was too distant to make out any words but the joy in the voices was impossible to miss.  
Splinter smiled lightly.  
"It seems to me that nothing bad came out of this conundrum. Unless this mud-throwing poltergeist follows us home there is no need to dwell on it."  
Leonardo smirked and so did Renet. That mission was a success but there was much left to do.


	3. White Lies and Dark Poetry

Loud steps, fast and excited, echoed through the halls of the timemasters. After making sure she was alone, Renet leaned casually against one of the huge pillars. Her eyes were caught by an unnerving black stone gargoyle. He cowered on his pedestal, fanged teeth bared and his oddly shaped head slightly tilted. The hollow eyes above the flat nose seemed to stare at the timestress.  
"Don't look at me like that!" She growled. "This is, like, totally for a good cause."  
Unsurprisingly the statue remained silent and Renet sighed. Still convinced to do the right thing, she nevertheless felt like a criminal. Sneaking through the old, awe-inspiring halls like a thief, rummaging the archives like a secret agent and feigning innocence whenever she met a sentient inhabitant of the 79th Dimension of Null-time had made her paranoid and – since she now picked up fights with lifeless objects – obviously a little crazy.  
But when she looked at the list in her hand, her spirit was lifted. Proudly she took in the result of hours that she had spent in the archives researching Donatello's achievements and accomplishments. The list contained his encounters, his experiments and his doings that have had little to no effects on the world or the universe. Things she could mess… interfere with without causing too much uproar or damage and – more importantly – without being caught and grounded by Lord Simultaneous.  
"Renet!"  
She cursed. She should have known better than to think of the devil.  
"Lord Simultaneous, ah, hello! It's, like, a total surprise to see you! Awesome! I thought you were busy, like, reeeeeeeally busy!"  
"I am!" He sighed. "But even I need a minute to breathe now and then!"  
"No problem! We are timemasters. Have a minute and take another for the road!" Chuckling nervously, Renet hid her list behind her back.  
Her master raised an eyebrow but could not help a little smile.  
"Well, I guess, it is not the worst time-joke I ever heard."  
Renet smiled back. Over the years she had learned to appreciate Lord Simultaneous. He was strict but fair and when she really really really needed him, he was there. Sort of like Splinter for the turtles. He would not say it directly but he cared for her and she knew. The feeling was mutual and she felt bad for deceiving him. But she felt even more that she owed Donatello what she was doing.  
"Did you encounter any problems while I was gone?" Lord Simultaneous finally asked.  
"What? No! Everything is running, like, totally smooth!" To emphasize her words she made wavelike movement with her arms. The motion was accompanied by the rustling of the paper in her hands catching the timelords attention.  
"What is this?" he wanted to know.  
"That? Nothing!" Renet hid the list behind her back again.  
"Renet, we can have a lot of philosophical discussions about the nature of 'nothing', but whatever 'nothing' is, it is not white, rectangular and made of paper!"  
"Uh…!"  
"Renet!" He grew impatient and Renet felt panic rising inside in her chest.  
"Lord Simultaneous, it..."  
"What is it?"  
"It's a…"  
"Yes?"  
"A…a…!"  
"I am listening!"  
"A…a poem!"  
Dumbfounded he looked at her.  
"What?"  
Renet nodded. "You remember when I had this embarrassing breakdown. I cried like a baby because of all the tragedy I saw in time?"  
Lord Simultaneous' gaze softened. "I do! And if you ever feel that way again, I hope you come to me if you need an ear or my guidance. But I do not see how this is related to…"  
"You said, I needed a way to deal with all that so it would not get me down."  
"And you chose poetry?" Incredulous he stared at his student.  
"Yes!" She lied. "It helps, like, soooo much. I can totally cope when I write."  
"If it helps you…" The timelord obviously doubted that but did not want to sound discouraging. "Can I see?"  
"No!" Renet all but shouted and looking at his shocked expression, repeated softly: "No, I am sorry, Lord Simultaneous, but this is very… ehm… private…and personal,…and I am soooo not talented… so it is, like, totally embarrassing."  
"I would never judge you!" He promised and added with a chuckle: "I chose you as a timestress not as an author, so…"  
Lord Simultaneous stopped speaking, obviously sensing something. Immediately his face changed and Renet recognized the look he had when he stared through time and space.  
"Carson? Again?" He exclaimed. "One would think one exploding time machine is enough to learn a lesson but apparently it is not."  
Sighing, he turned to Renet one last time. "I need to leave, you go back to your tasks. When times are quieter we can speak about the burden we share. It is easier if we do not carry it alone."  
Renet nodded with misty eyes. She felt bad for lying, but she would take his offer. Just because she did not really resort to poetry to ease her mind, it did not mean that her mind did not need to be eased from time to time.


	4. With Heart and Soul

"Spar with Raph, will you Leo? I am at a very critical point in this experiment."  
Feeling a stab of guilt upon seeing the disappointed look on his oldest brother's face, Donatello turned back to his work. He would love to spend time with his brother, but interrupting his work now would not be wise lest he might lose his train of thoughts later.  
"Damn it!" Renet cursed unheard by her hosts. "Missed the spot!"  
She used her scepter again. This time she arrived a few minutes earlier.  
Donatello sat down at his work station. He took his instruments and let out a soft breath.  
"Okay, Donnie!" He said to himself. "Focus, this is important!"  
Renet watched him as he carefully started to work. Soon she heard footsteps outside the lab coming closer. Again she stopped time. Moving closer to Donatello she held her scepter high. When she reached him, she gently put her hands on his shoulders. A small glow wandered from her fingers over to him. It started to engulf his head, his upper body, his legs, his arms and his hands. After that it spread of to his work table. When his whole lab was engulfed Renet removed her hands and turned her scepter. Time started running again in the lab and only in the lab. For a moment Donatello stopped working, looking around, maybe having felt Renet's featherlight touch. When he did not see anyone, he shrugged and started working. After an hour he put down his instruments with a satisfied look and took a sip of his coffee. Renet quickly swung her scepter and time was running again outside the laboratory. Donatello was about to go back to work when Leonardo appeared.  
"Do you have time to spar, Don?" He asked. "I could use the exercise. And you could, too. Probably doubly so…"  
An hour ago Donatello would have been to tense to appreciate the teasing tone his brother used. But after having mastered the critical phase of his current experiment, he smiled lightly. He was at a good stopping point and a break was welcome. As was the chance to wipe the smug grin out of Leo's face.  
"You are on, fearless Leader!" The genius grinned, feeling satisfied when the leader rolled his eyes as Donnie used Raph's nickname for him.  
They entered the dojo. Raphael was there lifting weights and looked up in surprise when his brothers entered.  
"Look, what the cat brought to the dojo!" He grinned. "Didn't think you could drag him outta there, fearless leader."  
"'He' can hear you and 'he' wants to let you know that it is rude to talk in the third person about people who are present in the room." Donatello bit back.  
"A'right!" Raph made a placating gesture. "Since 'you' are actually here to spar with Leo I guess I am not needed - this time."  
Donatello watched his brother in red leave and bit back the retort his mind came up with. There was no need to ruin Leonardo's day by getting into a fight with Raph.  
Leo suggested that they both trained with their favorite weapons to simulate a real fight best. Donatello agreed and grabbed his bo, while Leonardo went for his Katanas before they got into positions. After the formal bow, Leonardo charged forcing Donatello to be in the here and now immediately.  
Of course, Donatello was no match for Leonardo. His brother was stronger, faster and way more determined. Nevertheless he gave his leader a hard time. He landed a few hits, dodged several and blocked a lot more. When Leo was finally able to disarm him and pin him down, they both were breathing heavily. The winner got up first and helped his brother to his feet.  
"We should do that more often!" Leo said.  
"I know, I need the training!" Donatello admitted, feeling a little patronized by the not so subtle hint. "I know, you are worried that I get hurt or someone else gets hurt protecting me, but hey… you have to admit I made you work for your victory. I might not be as strong as you guys, but I have my ways in a fight and I am still a worthy ninja, not a helpless puppy."  
Leonardo furrowed his brow's ridge and looked at Donatello with an unreadable expression.  
"I know!" He finally said. "Even though it is very telling that you felt the need to point it out…"  
"What is that supposed to mean?"  
"You defended yourself against an accusation I did not make!" The older brother explained. "Why would you do that? Where did that come from?"  
Donatello thought about his words for a while. Then he let out a breath and turned his eyes towards the ceiling with a defeated look.  
"Because you would be right to make that accusation." He admitted meekly. "I do not train nearly as much as you guys. And that is not fair. I let you guys down, worse I make life harder for you. You have to be even better to make up for my lack of skill. It is beyond me why you even care about my safety since it is my own fault. It is just that I have a lot of things to do and…"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Donnie!" Leonardo held up his hands in a soothing manner. "You proved your skills just minutes ago, you can hold yourself in a fight. We have seen that several times."  
"But…"  
"And I know that there is a lot on your plate that none of us could even dream to do."  
"Well, there would definitely more time for sparring."  
"So, you feel like you should spar more and you have the time to do it. Why don't you do it?"  
Donnie looked away. Nervously he bit his lower lip.  
Quietly, barely to hear, he finally answered: "I feel so vulnerable here…"  
"Here? In the dojo?" Leo asked surprised.  
The genius nodded.  
"But why? Are we too rough? Is it Raph? I can tell him to tone it down. You should be completely safe here." Obviously the leader was beyond upset. "We could…"  
"No, no!" Donnie stopped Leo before he could blame himself. "It's not like that."  
"Then what is it?"  
"You three are all so natural in here!" The turtle in purple admitted abashed, eyes down again. "Mikey and you are extraordinary ninjas and, while Raph may have been better off as a samurai, he still is an amazing fighter. Myself, not so much. I feel like you are the natives here and I am an alien."  
"Donatello!" Leonardo exclaimed in his no-nonsense-I-am-the-leader-listen-to-me-voice. "You are a fully trained ninja, a master of the bo and capable of putting up a good fight. I just saw that."  
"But you won!"  
"Someone always wins! Well, most of the times, anyway. You are a great ninja and a valuable team-member."  
"Yes, I am a ninja, but at the end of the day I am travelling this path because it is our father's. I am a ninja by default, you are a ninja by heart and soul."  
After the words had left his mouth he found the courage to meet his brother's eyes. Leonardo looked at him thoughtfully, seeming to consider Donatello's words. Finally he nodded.  
"I think I understand. I will not make you continue on this path against your will, neither will father, I am sure of it. It pains me that a great mind like your's is forced to stay hidden. You could accomplish great things and are stuck with improvising domestic appliances for us."  
"What?" Donatello was flabbergasted.  
"I cannot give you a scholarship, even though you probably deserve it", Leo chuckled. "But I can give you the free time you need to follow other fields of study that have nothing to do with keeping us alive. But please do not scratch keeping us alive completely from your schedule, okay?"  
"Wait, wait, wait!" Donnie said loud. "Building things for my family and keeping them alive is something I consider as 'great things'. I can follow my interests, hobbies and guilty pleasures just fine. What I want most is to help keep our family save. Give you as much comfort and protection as I can. But while I am of use in my lab, I am a burden here in the dojo. I profit here, but I do not contribute."  
"You really think that?" Leonardo's expression softened even more.  
Donatello shrugged and nodded.  
"Well", the leader said. "While I agree that you are not our best fighter, you are still a great fighter. You miss a lot of training sessions but are a master with the bo anyway. Is that a genius thing?"  
He winked at his brother.  
"What?"  
"Doesn't matter!" Leonardo stated as he took a few steps towards his genius brother until he stood right in front of him. "You are aware that we do not meet many adversaries that are wielding a bo, but those who are usually know what they are doing?"  
"Yes, but…!"  
"Do you agree that therefore it is good to practice against someone who does, too?"  
"I guess…  
"And I am getting you right that your main purpose is to help us and keep us save?"  
"Yes…"  
"Great!" The leader in blue looked self-satisfied. "I will make sure you have enough time for your scientific interests, but you will not miss training anymore, not once. We need you to make sure that enemies with staffs do not stick them up our asses. So I expect YOUR ass to practice session every day! Understood?"  
Startled at first at his brother's unusual rough tone, Donatello's face finally lit up.  
"Understood!" He confirmed with a smile.  
Renet smiled, too. She was pretty proud of herself. Great plan, great execution! But as much as she would love to boast about it, she had to keep her low profile.


	5. Ease the Pain

"Not now, Raphael! This is important!"  
"Oh, I am sorry!" The hotheaded turtle replied, sarcasm dropping from his words. "I thought I was important ta ya, too!"  
"Don't be such a drama queen, Raphael!" Donatello said, rolling his eyes. "Just because I do not jump every time you need something, it does not mean you are not important."  
"Yeah, sure!" Raphael growled and left.  
Renet followed the turtle in red. With a scowl on his face he took the stairs down, heading for the dojo. When he took the last step, Renet looked at him apologetically even though her magic hid her from his sight.  
"I am so sorry, Raph!" She muttered. "But it is totally for a greater goal!"  
Quickly she put her scepter between his lower legs.  
"Whoa!" Desperately Raphael tried to hold his balance but failed miserably. With a surprised shout he landed on the floor with a thud - hard. He tried to get back on his feet but ended up falling back accompanied by a rather undignified cry of pain.  
Noises of metal objects dropped to the floor carelessly rang from the laboratory and lightning fast Donatello came running down the stairs.  
"Raph!" He called out. "What the shell happened?"  
"Ifelldownthestairs." The hothead muttered.  
"Pardon me?"  
Raphael remained silent for a moment, not wanting to repeat the shameful truth. But Donatello's warm and sincere look of concern broke the resolve.  
"I fell down the stairs." During that admission he did not look at Donnie. He felt embarrassed and was still mad at his smart brother.  
"Were you hurt?"  
"Can't put weight on ma left foot. Just gimme a minute. I will manage to get ta ma room and just lay down."  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Donnie scolded him. "Let's get you to the infirmary. I will take care of the injury."  
"'m fine!" Raphael pushed Donatello's helping hand away and turned to go to his room. He tried to avoid putting too much weight on his left foot without looking like he was limping. This did not work well and he lost his balance on the second step of the stairs. Closing his eyes and bracing himself for another ungraceful landing and more pain, he fell. The thud did not come this time. He was caught by Donatello.  
"I am always amazed by your definition of 'fine', Raphael!" The genius chuckled breathlessly. He was strong but struggled with his muscular brother's weight. With combined effort they managed to get Raph back up on his one good foot. The following staring contest was finally won by Donatello.  
"A'right, Brainiac!" Raphael grumbled. "I might need some help."  
"A shocking revelation!"  
"Don't get cocky, Donnie-boy…"  
"I would not dream of it."  
The first minutes in the infirmary the brothers stayed silent. Raph lay on the cot while Donatello took care of the injury. After he had examined the foot he spoke while bandaging the ankle.  
"Nothing is broken or sprained, just a little overstretched. You should be fine soon and suffer no lasting damage."  
"Good!"  
"Yes!"  
"Yeah…"  
"Sooo…"  
"So what, genius?"  
"How?"  
"Don't know whatcha mean…"  
"Really? You leap from roof to roof like a squirrel jumps through trees, you once gracefully dodged a bullet and can balance on a cable. How can someone like you hurt himself walking down the stairs?"  
Raph wanted to be mad but there was no mockery or teasing in his brother's tone or in his face. Just plain and honest curiosity.  
"Guess I was mad and didn't pay attention." Again he looked anywhere but into Donatello's eyes.  
"Mad at me?" Donnie asked and when his brother nodded, he sighed. "Look, as I said, just because I was not available this time…"  
"This time?" Raph interrupted him, his green eyes filled with a mixture of rage and hurt. "I came ta ya every day this week, Wednesday I was there even twice. Every fucking time I heard 'Not now, Raphael'!"  
He tried to imitate Donatello's voice for the last words but it failed to be offensive.  
Donatello's face fell. In his mind he replayed the events of the past seven days. Frowning he saw that Raph was right. His hotheaded brother had come in everyday just to be turned down. No wonder he became so insistent today. It had been the eighth time he wanted to talk to Donatello.  
The pang of guilt hit Donatello hard.  
"Oh, Raphie!" He said ruefully, sitting down on the cot next to his brother. "You are right! I was a horrible brother."  
"Damn right, ya were!" Raph had crossed his arms and stared stubbornly at his bandaged foot.  
"Yes, I was so caught up in my work that I lost sight of more important things. Give me the chance to make amends?" Donatello asked.  
Everybody else probably would have gotten the cold shoulder for a while now, but nobody could stay mad at Donatello for too long, not even Raphael.  
"Guess so…" The hot head grumbled.  
"What did you need?"  
"Remember when I asked ya what ya think 'bout our family? Our real, biological family?"  
When Donnie nodded, Raph said: "I wanted ta talk 'bout it again…"  
"I am sorry, but I answered you as good as I could the first time. I…"  
"Ya gave me a goddamn lecture on trachus… trachem…, well, red-eared sliders for fuck's sake…" Raph snarled.  
"Because they are our animal heritage. There is no way of knowing anything about the human DNA's origin. Let alone about any involved indiviuals on either side!" Donatello tried to reason with his brother. "I do not have any more answers."  
"I did not want answers! I wanted ta talk!"  
Since Raphael all but shouted at him, Donatello looked at him wide-eyed and was at loss of words. He studied his brother in red carefully. Still unsure what Raphael wanted or needed he desperately tried to read it in his green eyes that were void of any anger now. Just filled with pain.  
Donatello's flawless memory allowed him to recall the conversation Raphael was referring to.  
Ralph had talked about their mother and how they did not know anything about her. By that time the smart turtle's scientific mind had understood this as a need for information about the species they belonged to before they were mutated. He should have known that this was nothing Raph would care about.  
The Turtle on the cot sighed. He put on a façade of indifference and said:  
"Know what? Ya right! Fawget it! 'Tis stupid. Ya were more help than the others. At least you told me about the trachimus thingy."  
"Trachemys scripta elegans." Donatello smiled lightly.  
"Yeah, that, too." They both chuckled.  
After a while Raph spoke again.  
"Sorry ta bother you, Donny! I know ya are busy and here is stupid me asking stupid questions."  
"You are not stupid and these aren't stupid questions."  
"Maybe. But asking them is stupid because…like ya said: We will never know."  
Raph tried to get up but Donnie gently pushed him down.  
"That is why you wanted to talk, right? You did not come for answers, you wanted help to deal with the fact that there aren't any."  
The conclusion was stated as a fact and Raph's eyes began to water. Then the words came bubbling out of him.  
"I just didn't know what ta do. I felt so dumb for having these thoughts. We have a home, a father, our training, our life. And I keep thinking 'bout a female turtle who probably forgot about the egg I was in the second it had plopped outta her… But…but…"  
"Raph, this is not dumb." Donnie's gentle hand on his shoulder stopped his rant. "We are sentient beings, it is normal to think about our heritage. Unfortunately it is futile in our case."  
"But ya guys ain't like me. Leo meditates every nuisance away, Mikey has his video game therapy and ya, well, 'course ya are ta' smart for having such stupid feelings get ya down. Must be great ta be above it all."  
Donatello was surprised to say the least.  
"That is what you think about me?"  
"That is why I came ta ya. Ya are always calm, collected and even if ya don't have THE answer, most of tha time ya have AN answer. I thought talking ta ya might…"  
"Might what?"  
Raph looked away, embarrassed, desperately trying to blink the tears away.  
"Raph?" Donatello spoke softly, gently putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
When the turtle in red finally turned his face to him and spoke his voice was but whispering.  
"I thought talking ta ya might ease the pain!"  
Donatello stared at him as if he had punched him. He opened his mouth but closed it again being at loss of words. Seeing his brother's reaction Raph mumbled an apology, jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain, and wanted to bolt. Before he could though, Donatello pulled him close and held him tight. That broke the dam. The unshed tears Raph had fought down began to flow and he cried. For many reasons. For mistakes he made out of anger, hurt he had caused, things he lost and things he never had. All through it Donatello held him. Even when the sobbing stopped he was still in his brother's arms.  
"I wish I had answers, Raphie!" Donnie whispered, close to crying himself. "But you asked about our real, our biological family. These are not the same. I cannot tell you much about the latter. But we do have a REAL family. You do belong! You are not alone. I do not know where our path began or where it will end, but you do not have to walk it on your own!"  
Raphael disentangled himself from his brother's strong hug to look at him. His eyes were reddened but his typical grin was back.  
"Yeah, I knew it. Ya have that way with words, Donnie-boy!"  
"I am so sorry, Raph! You put your trust in me and I sent you away. Please, next time just grab me and pull me out of my lab if you need someone."  
"Will do!"  
"Unless I am handling explosives…"  
"Ya ain't no fun!"  
"Raph!"  
"A'right! I will ask ya first if kidnapping ya will cause explosions!"  
"Thanks!" Donnie smiled and softly asked: "Do you feel better?"  
"Yeah!" Raph nodded but added: "Still feeling a little stupid, but I always do standing next ta ya."  
"Don't!" Donnie demanded. "I do not want you to think poorly of yourself. You are resourceful, courageous, loyal and clever. Do not put yourself down. Doctor's orders!"  
"Okay, Doc!" The turtle in red saluted and allowed Donny to help him up. "No more feeling stupid!"  
"Maybe you can feel a little stupid for falling down the stairs…"  
"Ya think ya funny, huh?"  
"I do have my moments!" The turtle in purple supported his brother and they made their way out of the room.  
As they reached the door, Raphael stopped his brother.  
"Hey, genius! Don't tell anyone I cried like a girl or I'll kick your nerdy ass."  
"Will you now?"  
"No…I won't. But please don't tell anyone!"  
"My lips are sealed!"  
"Thanks!"  
Renet smiled as she watched the two ninjas leaving the infirmary. One last gentle touch with her scepter on Raphael's ankle to ensure a fast healing and the timestress left.


	6. Safe and Sound

"Sorry, Mikey! I am very busy. Some other time, okay?"  
"Okay, dude! Your loss – that is the most awesomest space monster movie ever!"  
"You use the most awesomest grammar ever, Mikey!" Donatello chuckled.  
The youngest turtle stuck out his tongue and jumped cheerfully out of his brother's sanctuary. It was not until he was out of the genius' line of sight that he dropped his sunny attitude to replace it with a look of disappointment. He knew that Donnie had super-important things to do, but he had been hoping that his slightly older brother would have joined them for the movie night.  
Sure, Raph and Leo were there which was great, but this meant only 3 out of 4. The achievement "Unite all Mutant Turtles on a couch" would not be unlocked. Mikey frowned. His two oldest brothers wouldn't even get that awesome gaming joke. As they would not get any of the amazing geeky references and puns he planned on throwing around during the movie tonight. Donnie would…  
For a second Mikey paused. The feeling of being watched made him look around, but when he saw nobody, he continued his way to the living area. Upon hearing Leonardo's and Raphael's voices he put back on his happy face before making his presence known.  
When the young turtle had joined his brothers, the three went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks and Renet, once more hidden by the magic of the time scepter, joined Donatello in his laboratory. For a while she watched him work. He was setting up a test he had been meaning to do for some time now.  
When he turned his back on the experimental assembly, Renet used her scepter to stop time. Taking out her list she looked at the turtle who was now frozen in time.  
"Well, Donatello!" She said in a professional tone. "According to my totally rad list, you will spent, like, 7 valuable hours of your precious time with this experiment. You will fall asleep on your desk chair, completely exhausted of course, and wake up just to find out that nothing happened, like, literally. No noteworthy chemical reaction at all. You will be frustrated and grumpy for days and so never touch that specific experiment again."  
Of course Donatello did not react to her but nevertheless as she had done with Raphael, Renet apologized.  
"I am really sorry, old friend, or, young friend, well younger-than-your-older-self friend. Whatever! I am sorry, okay?" She said. "But nothing will come out of this experiment that will contribute to science in general or to your work in particular. So why not, like, end it with a bang?" With that she stole his keychain.  
Renet was not specifically qualified in the field of chemistry, but she knew an "explosive" sign when she saw one. And rummaging through the cabinets Donatello usually kept locked she found what she needed. Magically protecting Donatello and the rare, expensive and/or irreplaceable parts of the laboratory's equipment she addressed Donnie once more.  
"It is for your own good!"  
After borrowing some gloves she opened the bottle she had found and took a liiiiiittle amount of the powder, just a pinch, to let it freeze just above the little test tube Donatello had mixed his ingredients in.  
She stepped next to Donatello to return his keys, feeling save. Due to her protective magic that what was about to come would be more show and fireworks than damage and danger. Self-confident she swung her scepter.  
Only a millisecond later the silence of the lab was ripped apart by a deafening, thundering noise. Glass shattered, walls shook, liquids were spilled and the ashes that were left of the equipment too close to the eruption flew through the room. Donatello turned around wide-eyed, resulting in his face being covered in the black powdery substance. Knowing that the force of the explosion would not be strong enough to pull him from his feet, Renet pushed him down. Just for show...  
The timestress barely had time to remove the protective magic she a put on several objects and Donatello before the door was pushed open. Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo stormed in. Not taking even a second to look around they all ran towards their brother who was lying on the floor, coughing, confused, shocked and full of ashes.  
"Donnie!" Leo examinded his brother's body looking for any injuries. "What happened?"  
"I… I don't…" Stammering Donnie looked into his leader's face, his mind completely void of any coherent thought.  
"Did you hit your head?" The eldest carefully helped him to sit up.  
"Uh…" Donnie thought about this question. Could be an explanation… But then again, no. There was no explanation how the set-up that was on his work table could possibly have…  
"Donnie!" Raphael's harsh words pulled him back to reality. "Talk ta us, genius! Are ya hurting? Ya got a headache? Any pain at all?"  
Donatello furrowed his brow. Did he have a headache? No. At least he did not think so.  
"My rear-end and my tail hurt…" He finally mumbled.  
"What?" Usually Mikey would laugh now, but he was too worried at the moment.  
"I think I landed on my rear-end, when…" Donnie's though trailed of again.  
"When the explosion hit you?"  
The genius hesitated. He thought he had felt hands pushing him down, but there had been no one here. So Leo was probably right. But how…  
"This should not have happened." Donnie muttered.  
"Yeah, no kidding!", "Well, duh!", "Obviously!" His brothers all responded at the same time.  
"No, what I mean is that this COULD not have happened."  
"I think I quote you, when I say 'What is true is also possible'" Leonardo managed a small smile as he helped his smart brother to his feet, finally positive that he had suffered no serious injury.  
"Yes, but…"  
"No 'but', Brainiac!" Raph said. "Your stuff blew up."  
"I admit that I did not know exactly what would happen. But…"  
"Mistakes happen due to fatigue. When was the last time you slept, Donatello?" Leonardo asked strictly, grabbing his arm and before Don could answer he added: "And with 'slept' I mean 'having a good night's rest' not 'passing out from exhaustion in the lab'."  
The turtle in purple rolled his eyes. "Leo, this has nothing to do with overtiredness! I literally used nothing that could have caused…"  
"What is this?" Mikey was magically drawn to any bottle, flask or container that was marked as dangerous. So it was no surprise that it was him who found the powder Renet had taken from the forbidden cabinet.  
"Ya used nothing explosive, Donnie-boy?" Raph said sarcastically pointing on the apothecary bottle in Mikey's hand. "That sign here coulda fooled me!"  
"Let me see!" Don freed himself from his oldest brother's grip and took the bottle from the youngest' hands." Impossible! I do not recall, getting this out…"  
"That's it!" Raph growled. "Forgetting stuff ya did minutes ago? Ya need a break! No lab for a week!"  
He grabbed his smaller brother and easily threw him over his shoulder.  
"Hey!" Don protested. "Leo!"  
"Sorry, Donatello, but I agree with Raph!" Leo stated and immediately muttered: "Can't believe I actually said that."  
"Look, guys!" The genius tried to explain himself as fast as possible. "This bottle belongs in the cabinet over there. That is where I store the really dangerous stuff. It is locked, well, it should be. The key is on the same keychain as the lab-key. And the moment I unlock the cabinet, I lock the lab door. It is an automatism for me. I could not have forgotten it."  
"What?" His three brothers exclaimed at the same time, Raphael set him down and Donatello nodded.  
"Yes! Whenever I handle the stuff in this cabinet I make sure none of you incidentally walks in! I would never endanger you guys!"  
Raphael and Leonardo were speechless and just stood there as if struck by lightning. Unlike Michelangelo who was wildly gesturing with his arms.  
"Dude!" He yelled. "You really think we are upset because one of us COULD have been in here during the explosion? We are upset because you actually HAVE been in here during the explosion!"  
Leonardo rubbed his face with his hands, collecting his thoughts but staying quiet for a moment.  
"Damn, Donnie!" Raph muttered, his expression much softer than before. "Ya can't lock the door when doing dangerous stuff."  
"But else you might…"  
"Then put a sign on the door next time!" Leo interrupted him. "Then we stay out, but if we hear an explosion or a cry for help, we need to be able to get to you as fast as possible."  
"Okay, if it makes you feel better…"  
"Of course it does, Donatello!" Leonardo bellowed. "Believe it or not: The less my little brother puts his own life in danger, the better I feel!"  
"Same here!" Raph rumbled. "Crazy us, huh?"  
Donatello took a defensive stance in the face of their aggressive tone and Raphael's sarcastic remark. He was about to bite back when he saw that none of his older brothers met his eyes. They were looking sideways, the corners of their eyes shimmering lightly, both making barely audible sniffling noises.  
"Leo? Raph?"  
Before he could further address them, the smart turtle felt Michelangelo's hand on his arm. Unlike the turtles in blue and red he did not hide that he was crying.  
"Donnie!" He sniffed. "We heard an explosion! From a room we knew you were in! And we found you lying on the floor covered in ashes! What do you think how that felt?"  
"Mikey! I…!" Donatello whispered.  
"It is only property damage this time, but you could have been seriously hurt." His voice hitched for a second before he finished: "Or worse!"  
Slowly regaining his composure, Leonardo stepped in front of Donnie and put his hands on his shoulders.  
"We do not want to lose you, Don!" He said. "What would we do without you?"  
The crying had stopped, but Michelangelo's voice was still weak as he spoke: "We love you, Donnie!"  
"Yeah…" Raph cleared his throat. "What they said."  
Donnie suddenly found it hard to swallow and felt tears forming in his eyes, too.  
"I am so sorry!" He pleaded. "I guess, I did not think this through until now."  
"Well, next time ya try ta kill ya'self, please get our opinion 'bout it first!"  
"Deal!" The genius wiped his eyes, laughing and crying at the same time. The next second he yelped in surprise as he was picked up and thrown over Raphael's shoulder again.  
"Raph? What…"  
"All that sappy stuff aside, ya still almost blew ya'self up! The 'no lab for a week' still stands!"  
"Leo!" The smart turtle whined again, hoping for the eldest' support.  
"I still agree with Raphael!" The turtle in question said before murmuring to himself: "Does this count as two times now?"  
"Come on, dude! You totally need a break." Despite the still reddened eyes the youngest came back to his usual joyful self. He had to lower his head a little to be eye-to-eye with Donnie who was hanging awkwardly over Raph's shoulder. "We will totally pamper you. You sit down on the couch – well, Raph dumps you there - , I will get you a blanket and popcorn and hot chocolate and then we watch the movie."  
"He is right, Donatello." Leo affirmed. "You need to relax. Body AND Mind. What better way to do that than with a stupid space movie."  
Michelangelo refused to be provoked.  
"With 'stupid space movie' Leo means 'shining example of the sophisticated art of science fiction in cinematic form'"  
As Mikey had proposed, Donatello was placed on the couch, put under a blanket and supplied with snacks. When the movie started, he found himself between his brothers, safe and protected. Bickering, joking, laughing they enjoyed their movie night. Together.  
"Achievement unlocked!" Renet smiled at Mikey and blew him a kiss before she disappeared. The turtle in orange paused once more but quickly brushed it off and returned his attention to his brothers and the movie.

Donatello had an excellent memory. But nonetheless he would erase things he considered unimportant over time. A few month later he had forgotten what the movie they watched this night was about. After a few years he did not recall the nature of the failed experiment anymore. The mystery of the explosive powder leaving the cabinet on his own stayed with him longer yet faded away after a decade. But he never forgot the feeling of belonging, of being loved and cared about and of being part of a family. Of being a brother. A brother in arms, in heart and in soul.


	7. Note quite so Dark Shadows

Note: This is one ending for "Fix it in time". I say "one" because I will post an alternative ending to this story. This one deals with the changes Renet caused on the future described in "Dark Shadows". There is another one based on "Swan Song". Yeeeeees, I am one of the heretics that do not think that these two stories can take place in the same timeline and therefor are only possible futures and not the de facto outcome for the Mirage Turtles. Sure, Raph loses his eye in Dark Shadows and wears an eyepatch in "Swan Song". But regarding to the informations we are given in "Dark Shadows" there should not be so many people around in "Swan Song" let alone a working law system. So since I see them as two different timelines, Renet messed with at least two universes. Probably more… Yeah!

Deep in thought Renet let her eyes wander over the Honda Province in Japan*. In places like that which had always been quiet and peaceful the changes to planet earth were barely noticeable. Here in the mountains of the eastern country the absence of humans was nothing new. The rising waters never had reached the higher places and to the unknowing watcher nothing seemed different to the time before the Utrom's arrival.  
But Renet was not unknowing. She knew a lot. Often she knew more than she wanted to know. And yet, she still was to learn whether her efforts had had the intended effect. She braced herself before she took the last few steps needed to look over the hill. When she reached the peak she glanced down and froze.  
Was she in the wrong place? No, she had been here just days ago, well, at least in Null-time. Funny. There she had been so anxious what she would encounter inside that building, just to find that there was no building.  
"That is, like, sooo ironic!" She declared.  
"Irony is a tricky concept, Renet!" The sound of the familiar voice behind her let her breath hitch for a second.  
"Lord Simultaneous!" The timestress squeaked undignified. "What are you doing here?"  
Ignoring her question he mused: "Assuming you are referring to situational irony here, which would need a noticeable divergence between what you expected to find here and what you actually found, I have to wonder: What, Renet, did you expect out here in the middle of nowhere that the actual findings strike you as ironic?"  
"Nothing!" She lied horribly.  
"Hmm, 'nothing' again!" The Lord of time watched the peaceful valley with an inscrutable expression. "Another tricky concept. One that has captured your interest as it seems."  
She dared not look at him but saw in the corner of her eye that he was studying her. As after a while it became clear that she would not contribute anymore to the already one-sided conversation he said: "If there is nothing you have to do here, we can leave. There is something I want to show you!"  
"Okay. Where are we going?"  
"New York City!"  
Renet frowned. She did not like New York in this period of time. Knowing that she should have learned to deal with this, that as a timestress she should be above this uncomfortable feeling, she still could not help how much it tug at her heart. Unlike at this almost untouched high located place, in the big cities that had been buzzing with human life day and night nothing was the same since the Utroms had evacuated most members of earth's most dominant species almost two decades ago to save them from the consequences of global warming. Manmade buildings and machines that had not been claimed by the rising tides were falling apart, crumbling under the merciless fist of time without the maintenance by the hands of their absent masters and nature took back what had been her's all along. Above cities like New York hovered an atmosphere of dread, destruction and deterioration that Renet could not stand. Not that her master left her a choice. She sighed and readied the time scepter.  
"Please!" Lord Simultaneous said. "Let me do the honors!"  
"Of course, master!" Renet raised a brow but nodded. Her master was powerful enough to manipulate time and space without the scepter so she just lowered it by her side.  
Bracing herself for the sight of bleak and unwelcoming ruins of what used to be a never sleeping city she let herself be drawn into the long whirling time tunnel that opened before the two time masters. She was worried about Donatello's whereabouts, but as long as Lord Simultaneous was around she could not use the scepter to locate the smart turtle. Trying not to let her discomfort show she focused on keeping on a straight face.  
Speaking of focus. Lord Simultaneous should have started to adjust the direction since the time tunnel currently lead straight to Brooklyn. She had visited this era a couple of times and she knew that only a few places in New York City were still above sea level. Brooklyn was not one of them. But Lord Simultaneous made no attempt to change his course. What the hell?  
"Ehm, master?" She tried to get his attention carefully.  
"Yes, child?" His face was serene and despite the fact that he was leading them right into the ocean he seemed concentrated.  
"Maybe you could show me what you want me to see from… I don't know… Lady Liberty's head? Or the Empire State building?"  
"That would most certainly be possible" He said calmly. "But I would rather you have an even better view on it."  
"But we are heading for Brooklyn!"  
"Very observant, child!"  
"So you want to show me something that is underwater?" She started to panic. Only a few seconds were left and she really did not want to become depressed AND wet.  
Lord Simultaneous laughed shortly. "Oh Renet! One would think so, wouldn't one?"  
The thought of her master losing his mind was accompanied by the flash of light that indicated the end of the time tunnel. Renet closed her eyes, desperately filled her lungs one more time and held her breath. With puffed cheeks and eyelids tightly pressed together she stood and waited for her clothes to be soaked. Wait? She stood? Why did she not flow? And what was that sound?  
Carefully she opened one of her eyes and found herself on a middle sized warehouse's roof. She gasped. It was dusk and the orange evening sun threw it's dying light on the grey stone giants of New York City. This definitely was Brooklyn. But there was no water. Not that the district looked overly inviting but it seemed…inhabitable. Some buildings were in a bad condition, some had crumbled under time's harsh treatment, but some of the constructions – though dirty and not exactly luxurious – seemed stable enough to live in. And people obviously did judging by the lights coming from several windows. Also remarkable was the fact that the illumination most certainly was not from candles or fires. This was electric light. And that sound. She could not make out it's source, was however sure that some kind of machine was humming somewhere. But…  
"How?" she breathed and felt someone tapping her shoulder causing her to turn her eyes from the eastern part of town.  
Unsurprisingly that someone was Lord Simultaneous. He looked at her, his expression still unreadable, and pointed over his shoulder to answer her question.  
Then she saw it: Fully illuminated by lights of different colors, protruding towards the sky, proudly withstanding the merciless hands of time – the TCRI building. Several pipes and powerlines running toward a couple of nearby towers lead back to it's lower floors, some pulsating with a strange sort of energy. The former Utrom main quarter looked like a powerful heart filling the neighboring boroughs with life.  
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Lord Simultaneous asked even though it was more of a statement then a question. He waved his right hand shortly, teleporting himself and his student down to the streets. He started walking towards the giant building, Renet following him like in a trance.  
"But the Utroms left a long time ago, like, decades…" She stuttered while she took in her surroundings.  
"As I hear they allowed a few chosen ones, a couple of trusted allies to use and alter some of their technology. You hear that noise? Giant pumps, to keep the water out. "  
"Pumps?"  
"Yes. Annoying sound but rumor has it the dam will be ready soon."  
"Dam?" Renet was half-aware how stupid she sounded by just repeating fragments of her masters sentences. She probably looked the part, too. But she was beyond confused and could not process fast enough.  
"Why don't we take a closer look?" Lord Simultaneous took her hand and fastened his steps moving nearer to the TCRI-building.  
From across the streets Renet spotted a familiar figure. Unmistakably: A green mutant, red mask, two sais in his belt, the tall, muscular body protected by a light leather armor. But…  
"Raphael?" Renet asked. The height, the built, the skin color, it must be him, but his eye.  
"Funny, isn't it?" Lord Simultaneous let go of her hand but stepped closer. "I remember this timeline's Hamato Raphael to sport an elegant eye-patch in this era. I thought he lost his left eye during a fight with…what's her name?"  
"Shadow!" Renet breathed. But not to answer his question even though the answer was correct. The timestress saw the slim figure of Shadow Jones peeling from the shadows of a nearby building. Her long hair waving she ran towards her sensei unheard by the latter. Trained in stealth as well as in combat she managed to let her feet touch the ground so lightly that even with her current speed she did not make a sound.  
Renet was about to intervene despite Lord Simultaneous' presence. But while she was considering it, Shadow suddenly made herself known.  
"Raph, Sensei, wait!" The young woman called out, making Raphael turn around.  
"What?" He growled, hands at his weapons' handles.  
"Please!" The girl begged, coming to a halt. "I don't wanna fight. Just hear me out!"  
The elder turtle said nothing but he relaxed and let his hands fall to his side.  
"Please!" Shadow repeated. "I am sorry. I miss you. You guys are all I have left since Casey…"  
"Pfff, Casey?" He asked mockingly. "You ta badass ta call him 'Dad' now?"  
"I…I…" Taken aback by his reaction the woman started to stutter. Like Raphael himself she was not too good with words and probably had thought about what she wanted to say and had arranged her words. Her sensei's mockery had disturbed her prepared speech and thrown her off.  
Tears were gathering in her eyes while she tried to get back on track and Raphael's gaze softened, clearly against his own will.  
"What ya did ta Donnie…!" He half-yelled, half-cried. "…that was extreme. Even Leo and I never went at the other like that. If I would not have been there that day…"  
"Curious!" Lord Simultaneous reminded Renet of his presence. "I could have sworn, he WAS not there…"  
"I am glad you were, Unca Raph!" Shadow – obviously without noticing it - used her childhood nickname for her former teacher.  
"Hooray for 'shellcycle-day'!" He laughed without humor.  
"I know that it woulda been real bad. It was instinct, like you taught me."  
"Don't put that on me, kid!" Raphael snarled. "Ya cannot teach instinct, ya train it at best. And I am pretty sure, I taught ya ta attack enemies not allies…or family."  
"I did not mean it like that. Gawd! I am so bad with words. Just…"  
"…like me." He finished and nodded.  
For a moment they stood in silence. Shadow gazing to the floor, Raph to the horizon but both watching each other from the corner of their eyes.  
"I'll be here for a few days." Raphael finally spoke. "Donnie said he needed me for something. Probably gotta carry heavy stuff around."  
Both chuckled.  
"There is a small café at the other side of the building. They re-opened a while ago:" He continued. "I will be there for breakfast tomorrow. Mikey, Leo and Donnie, too."  
"I can come?" Shadow asked carefully and when he nodded, she wanted to know: "The others won't mind?"  
"Donnie has forgiven ya. Mikey says that in that case he has no reason ta stay mad and Leo agrees."  
"And you?" Hopefully she searched for his eyes.  
"Look, kid!" He scratched the back of his head. "I need more time, okay? Let's just…You just eat with us tomorrow, we have a chat and maybe…"  
"Okay!" She whispered. "Thanks!"  
"See ya tomorrow!" He said, making sure his tone was dismissive. It worked and she left, becoming one with the shadows she was named after again.  
Raphael sighed, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.  
The sliding door of the TCRI main entrance opened revealing Michelangelo and Leonardo.  
"Yo, bro!" Mikey squealed and jumped on Raphael's back, like not a single year separated him from his teenage self.  
"Knock it off, goofball!" The turtle in red complained. "Not in da mood for your antics!"  
"We are happy to see you, too, Raph!" Leo grinned. "What are you doing here staring at the ruins? Why don't you come in? Don is probably already waiting."  
"Shadow was here." Raph simple said.  
"What? Where is she?" Mikey became excited.  
"'Was here', knucklehead, as in 'is no longer here'!" Raphael turned around to enter the building, not waiting up for his brothers who nonetheless followed him as did Renet and Lord Simultaneous.  
"You two fought again." Leo did not ask, he stated it.  
"Yeah, no, kinda, I don't know. I allowed her to join us for breakfast tomorrow."  
"You did?" Mikey and Leo asked at simultaneously raising their brow ridges in surprise.  
"If you guys don't want her there, we just sent her away."  
"No, no! It is fine! You should talk and it would be good if we are there to keep you calm – both of you." Leo said, accompanied by an almost frenzy nodding of Michelangelo's head.

With a snap of his fingers Lord Simultaneous stopped time.  
"It is peculiar! I remember all this differently…" He paused before adding: "…but then again, while wielding god-like powers, I am no god. I can make mistakes, right?"  
"Right!" Renet nodded.  
"WRONG!" He yelled at her. "I am the Lord of time, Renet! My memory is flawless. I know all timelines by heart and this is NOT how it is supposed to be!"  
"Yes, it is…" The blonde woman beside him whispered, barely for him to hear.  
"What?"  
"It may not be as it was, but it is how it is supposed to be!" Renet met his eyes with a stubborn expression. "The earth, one of the rare planets inhabitable by like 80 % of all species in the galaxy was totally dying and now it is not!"  
"Oh, for EARTH' sake you played around in Donatello's life, not for his?"  
"I…no…but…like…the result still speaks for itself."  
"Renet! Earth dying or not dying may have unpredictable…"  
"Thedaimyosson!" Renet coughed.  
"Do not use this silly fake-cough on me, girl!"  
"Alright!" She said with her new found confidence and crossed her arms. "The daimyo's son! You totally took a dead megalomaniac and not only brought him back to life, but like turned him into a kid again so he could relive his life!"  
"That is a different thing!"  
"How so?"  
"It was only one person!"  
"Donatello is only one person, too!" Renet argued. "You gave this guy like a second lifetime! Who knows how many people's life he will touch and cause change on a greater scale that way?"  
Lord Simultaneous opened his mouth for a rejoinder but closed it again, contemplating her words.  
"You… do have a point." He finally admitted looking at the ceiling, causing Renet to blink and giving him a surprised look.  
"Back then I acted out of a momentarily feeling of sympathy and compassion, not based on rational thought." He spoke, more to himself than to her. "And after coming to my senses I could not bring myself to undo it, not when I saw the happiness I brought to the Daimyo and when I thought of the despair I would cause by taking it away."  
The time lord turned his gaze away from the ceiling to look at Renet, then at the turtles.  
"Alright!" He nodded. "By sheer dumb luck you did not cause any catastrophe but only, let's say, by an intersubjective standard preferable results."  
"What?" Renet scratched her head, looking sideward, trying to understand what he said.  
"Oh, for the… You did good, alright?" He exclaimed and when she beamed at him, he was fast to add: "But don't do it again!"  
With that he opened a time tunnel, motioning her to follow and they stepped in after restarting time.

"But why your change of heart?" Leonardo asked. "Why did you decide to give Shadow a chance suddenly?"  
"Donnie, I…I promised him to try." Raphael said, walking through the entrance hall towards the elevators. "Ya know we meet every second Thursday ta check on my bike, tune her, upgrade her and stuff like that?"  
When his brothers nodded, he continued: "Well, as ya know, after Shadow apologized to him, he forgave her and wanted me ta do the same. And he's been saying stuff like 'everybody makes mistakes', 'nobody is perfect', and how honest regret and the wish to better oneself deserves credit, and how forgiveness brings peace ta the forgiven AND the forgiver. He really made me think and when she showed up here, I thought maybe it is a sign, so I will give her a chance."  
"That is very mature, Raph!" Leo commended his immediate younger brother.  
"Thanks!" Pushing the elevator, the turtle in red nodded at his former leader with a smile.  
"And Donnie wouldn't let you off the hook before you promised to talk to her and he'd bury you in fancy words instead of working on your bike?" Michelangelo asked in an innocent tone and with an equally innocent expression on his face.  
Raphael turned to him, stared at his brother and blinked. Then he burst out: "Oh my gawd! The Brainiac is so – don't ya get me wrong: I love him! – … so annoying. And ya guys have the nerve ta call ME stubborn! I mean, the girl coulda killed him and all he cares about is my peace of mind. And he knows so many words and he throws them at me. And he is so calm and nice and understanding and before I know it, I just promise him everything he wants…"  
"I always thought I should use my superpowers for good!" A soft voice from behind made everybody turn around.  
The sight of a smiling Donatello greeted them. A plain white labcoat covered most of his body, a pair of ridiculous goggles sat on his head, several cables and wires were slung around his upper body and he carried an unidentifiable device in each of his hands.  
"What is all that, Don?" Leonardo wanted to know when he and the other brothers rushed to get some of the gear from Donatello to help him.  
"It's…ah…technical!" He shrugged.  
"I bet it is!" Michelangelo giggled.  
A loud "ding" announced the arrival of the elevator and the four brothers got in.  
"Sooo…" Donatello said to Raphael, when they had all gathered inside. "You love me, hmm?"  
"Shut the fuck up, genius!" Raph snapped while his brothers chuckled but could not help a little warm smile himself.  
With another friendly 'ding' the elevator door closed.

The End (1)

Thanks for reading!

*The Honda Province is the location of Donatello's home in "Old Times" (Plastron Café 1). I always assumed that it is the same home he has at an older age in the epilogue of the Treasury edition. I might be wrong but in my story that's how it is.


	8. Sweeter Swan Song

Here it is: The second ending of "Fix it in time". As announced this one describes the future Renet created by changing the "Swan Song" timeline. Again: I did not re-read the comics I referred to but used what I still had in mind since they are a little too much for me at the moment – emotionwise. So forgive me if my memory failed me at some points.

Renet cried. She cried for Raven Shadowheart. It was not the first time she did because she had visited this moment of time before. But now the grief blended with something else. Frustration? Disappointment? She could not put her finger on it.  
What could she have expected? That getting Donatello closer to his brothers could somehow prevent the murder of Leonardo's lover? Had she really believed the genius or one of his brothers would develop psychic powers, foresee Carnage's ambush and save the beautiful woman known as "Radical"? She shook her head. No, she had not believed that. In fact, she had picked the moments in Donatello's life in a way that would keep the impact on the rest of the world to a minimum. Who knows what chaos would have ensued if not Radical but her Nemesis would have fallen that day? Even though it was hard to believe that it would NOT have been better the other way around, fate was a peculiar thing and she had messed with it more than she should have anyway. Renet should be glad that there were no noticeable changes to other people's life so far.  
But being glad was hard, to say the least, looking at her turtle friends. Michelangelo was crying, feeling his own loss of a friend and his brother's loss of his love. Sadness, sympathy and barely controlled anger danced in the one eye Raphael had left. Shifting from foot to another, his eyes nervously switching between the fresh grave and his brother Donatello was clearly a wit's end. And Leonardo! Oh, Leonardo… Renet could not suppress another sob. The fearless leader, kneeling on the dusty ground in front of his lover's grave, did not cry a single tear, did not once curse the murderer of his beloved. He had his eyes fixed on the cairn, his expression forlorn, as if his very soul had left his body leaving it behind as an empty vessel. In a way, it had…  
Renet knew that Leonardo's behavior was the calm before the storm. She knew: what he was about to try, that he would fail, lose himself, make an oath and break it and lose himself again. A long and painful journey lay ahead of the once proud leader of the turtles. Yes, at it's end there was peace but also loneliness.  
Through tear-filled eyes the timestress watched as Leonardo rose to his feet and turned to leave. Now he would walk by his brothers without a word, leaving them helpless. He would waste years searching for Carnage to take his revenge to no avail leaving him bitter and close to suicide. But then… When he was about to pass Donatello, Leonardo stopped in his tracks and turned to his genius brother.  
"Don? Would you help me with something?"  
"Of course!" Immediately the genius' hands found his oldest brother's shoulders. "Anything you need, Leonardo!"  
"Help me find him!" Leonardo voiced a demand but it sounded like a plea. "I need to find him, he must not get away! I…"  
"What will you do?" Donatello asked softly.  
"I will kill him!" Leonardo growled and when he felt his brother tense at that, he said: "I could tell you that I just want him captured and secured so that he can no longer harm anyone, Donnie! But you'd know that I am lying and I'd know you knew."  
"It…still is true that he is highly dangerous. And without Radical balancing his powers out…" Donatello contemplated. "Alright, I will help you find him, but promise me you won't go without us if we find him. I do not want to lose you!"  
Leonardo hesitated but seeing the soft yet determined look at the smart turtles face he smiled softly before he finally answered: "I promise to let you guys accompany me, but I cannot promise to forfeit my revenge!"  
He looked at Donatello, then at Michelangelo and Raphael. His brothers nodded.  
Renet wiped her tears away and smiled. Still she mourned the wonderful woman that had to die but at least the brothers would deal with the aftermath of her death together.

A few months later Leonardo had settled on the couch of Donatello's apartment. His left shoulder still hurt from the vicious blow Carnage had landed, but the inner peace he felt eclipsed everything the physical world had to offer right now.  
Leonardo felt a presence and soon a warm hand was placed on his good shoulder. He smiled at Donatello, gratefully accepting the tea cup his genius brother offered.  
"Thank you!"  
"It is my fault you're hurt." Donatello frowned, sitting beside his former leader. "A cup of your favorite tea is the least I can do!"  
"Stop this nonsense!" The oldest brother admonished him. "Without your program we could not have tracked all the crimes matching Carnage's MO and would NEVER have found him."  
"But my device to trap him failed…" The genius looked miserable. His eyes again and again found the bruises at his big brother's body.  
"It had worked on other shapeshifters, Don, and no one knew exactly what kind of powers Carnage wielded!"  
Donatello was silent for a moment. Finally he looked to the floor and whispered: "You finally were able to give up revenge for the sake of justice. You had decided not to kill him. And because of my failure you still had to to save my sorry ass."  
Despite the grave mood Leonardo could not help raising his eye ridge and chuckle a little. Donatello barely cursed. He was really upset.  
"What is so funny?" The genius asked annoyed. "You were so close to finding your balance again. And because of me you broke your oath not to kill anymore."  
"Yes, I did!" Leonardo nodded. "And I did it gladly. I would do everything to protect you. But it did not disturb my inner peace. You helped me see that revenge would not bring her back and just feed the hate I carry inside."  
Donnie looked at him.  
"Yes!" He nodded. "But then I could not trap Carnage and you had to kill him anyway."  
"But not for the sake of revenge, Donatello!" Leonardo exclaimed. "But for the sake of my family!"  
He sat up to put an arm around his younger brother trapping him in the embrace by holding on tight when Donatello tried to pull away.  
"Does that make a difference?" Donnie asked gloomily.  
Leonardo laughed.  
"Of course it does! It is the difference between hate and love!" He exclaimed. "I did not kill him because I HATE him, but because I LOVE you!"  
For a moment Leo could enjoy the small smile that formed on Donnie's face. Then they heard the sound of the automatic front door unlocking and opening. Soon two familiar voices engaged in equally familiar bickering were heard.  
"I swear to god, Mikey! If you told the guy to make it 'extra-spicy' again…"  
"Not my fault you are such a pussy!"  
"Careful! Even you won't like your pizza spicy, when I put it up your…"  
"Hi, guys!" Mikey called out to Leonardo and Donatello upon entering the living room. "We brought pizza. The kind for REAL men!"  
The two turtles on the couch chuckled and watched as Mikey set the table while Raph cut the pizzas.  
When they finally sat down to have dinner, Mikey asked: "So, what's up?"  
"Leo loves me!" Donnie grinned.  
"Don't let it get to your head too much!" Leonardo said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.  
They finished dinner in comfortable silence. After that they settled for the couch, snacking, talking, sharing memories before falling asleep when the first rays of the morning sun fell through the windows.

The End (2)

Thanks for reading!


End file.
